“Springtime in Paris” was a fun theme for the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance spring potluck. I decided to riff on a classic bistro frisée salad with bacon lardons and the riff got a little wide by the time I made endive stuffed with an asparagus, radish and cucumber salad and topped with bacon lardons, egg, tiny croutons and a mustard-tarragon vinaigrette. The idea was sparked by a bouquet of endive.
I never post seasonally because let’s face it, I’m not that organized and methodical. The only thing that is predictable about me is that I resist predictability. This was supposed to be my post for Valentine’s Day, but that did not work out. BUT, that’s OK because the heart still makes sense since I’m in love.
BUT… it’s not unconditional love. It’s highly conditional. Or should I say seasonal. [SINGS: This is no ordinary love] I’m singing the praises of garlicky roasted tomatoes because this recipe saves me all winter long. Let’s just say if it weren’t for this recipe, I’d be singing the blues…
Salmon Skin San Choi Bow is a team-building game of a dish. It’s an ice-breaker and a conversation-starter that gives guests a chance to play with their food! A fun to eat dish, it also handles four food considerations with one swoop. It’s gluten-free, pescatarian and, if they leave off the salmon skin, it’s vegetarian and vegan. SUPER DISH!!! I think it needs a cape.
MIND BLOWN! In early December, I was surfing the Twitter, as I do, with too much regularity and I saw this tweet by @thewayweate aka Noah Fecks:
BATTLE OF THE SHRIMP TREES!!! @bonappetit vs. @thewayweate #whoworeitbest
I click on it and I’m all WHAAAAATTT!!!!!!?!?!?!??!!!! A miniature Christmas tree decorated with SHRIMP!!!!!
I’d never seen anything like it before.
I think tapas has to be one of my favorite styles of food. I love small plates and lots of ’em. Plus, there’s always tons of garlic and pork in the food. Strangely, not everyone eats pork. As curious as this is to me, it’s a total bonus because it means there will be more pork for the rest of us.
Since they kindly add more pork to my life, I like to look out for vegetarians or vegans when I can. So I made up this excellent tapas or side dish recipe.
While mushroom caps stuffed with a hearty shepherd’s pie filling, topped with mashed potatoes and Irish cheddar cheese was inspired by St. Patrick’s Day, it’s not really one of my celebrated holidays. I’m not one to run out and make a bunch of green-colored food, especially if the green color does not occur naturally. PLUS, I’d never, ever drink green beer (shuddering).
Everyone LOVES Deviled Eggs! I LOVE them too, but I hate how quickly they disappear when I make them, so I made a giant one that you can serve with vegetable scoops so it’s healthier.
My favorite kind of recipe? One that’s dead easy and makes me look like a genius! Claudia Roden’s Basic Pie Dough 1 from The Book Of Jewish Food, is one such recipe. I used it to make samosas for my niece’s birthday party five months ago—I made heaps so I could freeze ‘em. Isn’t the freezer magical—it may be my favorite major appliance. I finished the last two samosas this morning when I cleaned out the freezer. I threw them in the toaster oven frozen and they were still delish and the pastry crisped up beautifully. You can also use this dough to make empanadas, pasties or any kind of savory hand held pie.
This dough is easy to make and requires no resting so it’s FAST—another thing I love in a recipe! I love working with this dough because it’s oily and doesn’t stick to your hands and is well behaved when you roll it. When baked, the texture is a little flaky, yet it’s strong enough to hold a heavy filling.
I rediscovered “dukkah”, a delicious and highly versatile treat when I was back in Australia in August 2010. I have never made or even seen it on a menu here in the states. It’s easy to make and delicious to just eat with bread and fruity olive oil or to accent or spice up any number of dishes. It’s originally from Egypt and translated the word “dukkah” means to pound.